The Liquidamber trees on the property are behaving strangely. Or are they ? A beautiful tree from the eastern United States Liquidamber are famed for brilliant autumn colour. We are now getting very red leaves - but it seems very early. It's still summer here and HOT.
February in our southern hemisphere summer is theoretically the same as August in the northern hemisphere. Is that what happens to them in their homeland. I really don't know and maybe someone can tell me?
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| February 18th 2012. Autumn Colour in February. |
It's not just this year, and maybe it has always happened. Maybe I just noticed.This is the progress last year.
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| Red very early. But I still like those beautiful leaf shapes. |
One thing that occurs to me is that the soil is too acid. So I have just got a test kit. We shall see. It's also very dry here this summer, and only about 300 mm a year, but we do have a computerised irrigation system to every tree. Days have been 20 to 30 Degrees centigrade. (86 to 68 Fahrenheit) and warm at nights. With no cold snap.
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| Scarlet Oak. Starting red as well. |
There are also about 60 scarlet oak planted, which have the same early autumnal signs, although much less intense and early. Look at this link of the progress in 2011.
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| We like colour around here. Gleditsia between |
Anybody who lives where these trees are native might care to tell me how early they expect the Autumn colour to first show. Is it really August ?? Comments below please.
I lived in the eastern US and as far as I can remember, trees didn't turn color until it got cold, probably some time in September in New England with the most beautiful colors displayed in October. I don't know anything about trees, so why this happens, I have no idea. The windmill farms around here are the second largest in California and probably among the largest in the country.
ReplyDeleteWe had one of these in the UK and if I recall correctly it was usually late August early September that the leaves started to turn.
ReplyDeleteLindy Lou. Well the change takes a while, but ours is quite advanced right now. Of course there is some variability. These are not cloned specimens, so you would expect that.
ReplyDeleteWe have a more gradual season change here than in the Eastern USA. My son in Washington DC says Autumn all starts in a week.
Kerry
Kerry
Inger. Thats what I thought. When it gets cold, the leaves start to turn. Well its hot here. As you wouold expect August there, and February here, to be. Kerry
ReplyDeleteThey are always earlier than others. This is true with the red Oaks also, just not as early. Amelanchier would hit it at about the same time.
ReplyDeleteIt has absolutely nothing to do with the cold but with an enzyme. I expect that there is a seed distribution reason with either birds or insects in it's native range, but I don't know for certain. Anywho, I expect it needed to be a bit gaudy given it had Maples, Amelanchier and at least a dozen like them to compete.
It is a thirsty devil from what I'm reading, But that won't be any problem at your place given your sitting on gravel with a ruddy great river which will keep the water table at an easily get-able distance. If anything it's too near the surface.
Any colour on the vines yet.
Thanks Vince. It's good to know the species is generally earlier than others. As you note the red oaks are behind it, but not by very much.
Delete- quite tough conditions. Amelanchier is not something known to me. The Liquidamber seems to get by in the dry gravel here. But we do irrigate.
That enormous river, only about 100 meters away is vertically down quite a way. And any water table will be ten of meters down as well.
The vines. Yes there is colour on the pergola vines. Lots of green yet, but many leaves quite red. But they are all slected for Autumn colour. Some are Vitis Amurensis. The neighbouring vineyards are not showing any yet. Interestingly they go yellow and gold. No red. Kerry
ReplyDeleteGot some flaming orange leaves on the Nandina, Cape Town feels early autumnal. Odd weather.
ReplyDeleteI grew up with these in the American south and I remember them turning in the fall, not late summer, and usually multiple colors. I would have guessed these are stressed, perhaps by the heat. But I'm certainly not a tree expert.
ReplyDeleteYes James. I was thinking about stress too, but I really don't know. Feedback so far suggests that colour is not always late. So ???.
ReplyDeleteMultiple colours mmmh. Liquidamber can be quite variable if not cloned which these arn't. But then these ones arn't so multi either.
I'm going to have a dig around with a PH meter and see.
They are certainly out of their natural range here, but also have actually done very well, considering the challenges the environment gives them here. Despite wondering about the early colour, overall I am pleased with them. Kerry
P.S. My recent Gleditsia plantings - (one month) are doing very well. Amazing. It was a complete leap of faith and I had no idea of the outcome. But it's working out.
In Mississippi we called these Sweet Gum trees. When my mother was growing up as a poor young country girl, so poor they couldn't afford tooth brushes, they used the small fragrant branches of Sweet Gum to brush their teeth. Every taste your Liguidamber? They're quite fragrant.
DeleteChanging colors early, from what I read, is a sign of stress. Too much water, not enough water, not enough light, which is probably not your problem, are some reasons. The red colors are masked by the green in leaves while photosynthesis is going on so what it looks like is the food-making process has stopped for some reason. Has this happened before? Do the trees show any other signs of drought stress?
ReplyDeleteBTW, we are having a very odd year with very little rain this winter. Here's the scoop. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9F7kkBrdp8
Thanks Sue. I was starting to think that maybe this is a normal thing, and looking at my past photos, and as I drive around, it does not seem abnormal. But you point out that the photosynthesis has stopped. Which would be pointlessly early, and not helping with the growth I seek.
ReplyDeletemmmmmh. But in all other respects and also for the other varieties, the trees seem very healthy. Kerry
I'm from Ohio, in the USA, and here, the Liquidambar (we call it "sweet gum") is one of the LAST trees to turn colors, usually not until November.
ReplyDeleteWell your November corresponds with our May. And the liquidamber here is the first to colour up. Long before May.
ReplyDeleteHi there. I found your posts while looking for an answer to the same question you asked two years ago now. We live in Taupo and have two Liquid Amber trees growing 10 mtrs apart. One is lush and green and the other looks a a bit sad and started turning weeks ago. So did you get to the root of the problem? How was your PH? They are only young trees but I would hate to lose one. Sherwin
ReplyDeleteThere is always some variation in autumn colour between these trees. And they are not clones, so you would expect that. It's pretty tough conditions here, but the 40 Liquidamber have had a very good survival rate and are quite consistent with each other. Most of the other varieties are much more variable.
ReplyDeleteAs for your good tree and your poor tree. Perhaps the poor one was always going to be poor so I would suggest getting rid of it.